The teacher president of Peru has now been in office for a year. His approval rating dropped to 19%.

That sentiment turned out to be shared by many across Peru, which propelled political neophyte Castillo to victory in a runoff that stunned the South American country’s political class.

It also fueled hopes among many Peruvians that an outsider could bring about the changes needed to improve public services, including education and health, whose shortcomings have been exposed by the pandemic.

Now, after a year in the presidency, Castillo’s popularity is in shambles, decimated by what critics say is a chaotic management style and allegations of corruption.

Yet in rural areas, many voters believe the fault for the executive branch crisis lies not just with Castillo, but with Congress, which has twice sought to impeach him.

“We want him to go up to five years [in office], work, keep his promise. Why are they going to kick him out? said Acevedo, dressed in the red and black costume typically worn by women in her community. “We want him to learn. No one becomes president knowing “what to do”.

Acevedo, who worries about rising food and fuel prices that have led to regional protests, said Lima’s wealthy are “not letting” Castillo work.

Castillo, 52, campaigned with the slogan “no more poor in a rich country”. He promised to fight corruption, raise taxes on mining profits, rewrite the constitution and end so-called monopolies that affect the prices of domestic gas and medicines.

But it was met by a Congress too eager to continue political wrangling that has seen presidents and lawmakers seek to cut others’ terms.

In 2019, President Martín Vizcarra dissolved Congress and called legislative elections. The following year, the new Congress removed Vizcarra. Manuel Merino was named president by Congress but resigned less than a week later following deadly protests. He was replaced by Francisco Sagasti, who after nine months handed over the job to Castillo on July 28, 2021.

Since then, Congress has approved a commission to investigate allegations of presidential election fraud, allegations that election officials and independent observers dispute. Twice, lawmakers also attempted to remove Castillo for alleged moral incapacity, but fell short of the 87 votes needed to move forward.

Congress also shelved Castillo’s proposed measures for constitutional reform. But the president himself failed to introduce the detailed agricultural overhaul that was among his key campaign promises.

Only around 19% of Peruvians approve of the work done by Castillo, who beat Keiko Fujimori in the second round by around 44,000 votes. But that’s more than the 12% mark for Congress, according to polls by the Institute for Peruvian Studies.

Castillo “promised a lot of things, like structural changes. Many people trusted [him]but as president he has many shortcomings, which makes people suspicious,” said Arnulfo Casas, a retired teacher who worked for decades in the Amazon region and returned to Tupe to deal with his sick wife.

But Casas is also not happy with Congress. “The parties that have lost do not let [Castillo] work, everything is opposition,” said Casas, who runs a juice store. “Most mountain and jungle dwellers want Castillo to continue legally.”

Lack of achievement is hurting the president, analysts say. “In the different social sectors there is a series of unmet expectations that have generated disappointment and a climate of discontent and exhaustion,” said Rodrigo Gil, professor of political science at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University.

Castillo has sometimes damaged his own image by making mistakes, such as confusing Croatia and Ukraine when talking about the latter’s invasion by Russia – a slip that has drawn mockery on social media and media criticism traditionalists and politicians.

The president also faces five investigations. Four are investigating allegations of corruption and one is investigating allegations of plagiarism from his master’s thesis in educational psychology submitted in 2012.

“Some people think we’re going to give in here, even if they don’t care about your children, your parents, your family. In 11 months they can’t find a single piece of evidence,” Castillo recently said of the corruption investigations.

He said he was not seeking to become president to “drill his nails” into the public treasury. He says that if he were to be convicted, his father would disinherit him and he would submit to a type of peasant justice system that punishes cattle rustlers with horrific whippings and other physical punishments.

Castillo’s lack of experience in public management revealed itself in a revolving door among his cabinet secretaries.

In February, amid a third wave of COVID-19 cases, he replaced a health minister who was promoting vaccinations with a doctor who had touted a type of water believed to slow aging.

After thousands of barrels of oil spilled into the Pacific, Castillo replaced the environment minister with an inexperienced geographer who resigned in just eight days.

Since February, the Ministry of Agriculture has had four secretaries even as Peru grapples with shortages and rising prices of Russian fertilizers due to the war in Ukraine.

“It’s a very precarious government, focused on sticking its neck out and breathing day in and day out to survive,” Gil said.